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Local Residents Weigh in on Gun Control Debate Ahead

Gun control debate will fire up next week after supporters win the first Senate showdown over restricting firearms on Thursday.

The 68 to 31 vote means lengthy debate is ahead over expanded commercial background checks on-line and at gun shows, stronger enforcement of illicit gun sales and more school safety aid.

Some area residents have a mixed reaction, saying they want to make sure the Right to Bear Arms is protected. Others support the background check concept, as long as it is actually enforced. The majority agree that the actual gun is not the issue, but the people with the mental capacity to commit a heinous crime, using a gun. They also remind us that the majority of the mass shootings in recent history were done by people that got the weapon legally themselves or stole it from someone else that did. As for the school issue, some say the U.S. already made middle and elementary schools softer targets after mandating armed officers in high schools alone, after the Columbine tragedy.

The Senate compromise measure means that chamber is open to the concept. Its' Majority Leader Harry Reid has called it a likely uphill battle and thinks there will be tougher opposition in the Republican controlled House.